The farm fix

In the commercial hotspot that is Mumbai, going green seems to be the new buzzword.

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Nishat Bari

August 19, 2010

ISSUE DATE: August 23, 2010

UPDATED: August 20, 2010 12:51 IST

Organic. That word has increasingly been jumping out at us as the city wakes up to the world of organic living. Caring for the earth is the hottest new thing, and suddenly everyone is scouting for everything organic. Simply Mumbai decided to do some figuring out so that next time we spot something organic, it means more than another fancy word.

As funky as it gets-IndigreenPure passion translates into some of the city's funkiest T-shirts, or to be more specific 'the Indian luxury T-shirt brand' with elaborate hand-painted poster art adorning them. The icing on the cake is that it's completely organic, right from the material to the labels.

Nidhi Singh, 31, began researching on the Green Revolution and experimenting with possibilities of creating 100 per cent eco-friendly collections. Prior to that she has worked both in the media and fashion industry for almost 11 years and even had her own luxury pret label, 'Nidhi Singh'.

It was in 2008, when she volunteered for The Climate Project, India, that she met Gaurav Gupta, co-founder of the organisation that he helped found with Al Gore. With a bachelors from Oxford and a masters from Yale, Gupta, 32, is an ecopreneur with his fingers in multiple projects that promote sustainable development. Together, they launched Indigreen and did a test run of their t-shirts at the Kala Ghoda festival last year.

While all the material used is certified organic and sourced from places that ensure fair trade, the Bollywood theme posters incorporate social messages in their design-their latest line has an anti-terrorism theme, with tees sporting messages like 'Terrorists Are Ugly'. The artwork is done by former Bollywood poster painters who have been out of work. The care extends to the dyes and paints as well, which are either organic or eco friendly.

Sweetest thing-Under the mango treeEvery store worth its organic salt stocks jars of honey from Under The Mango Tree. Started by MIT graduate Vijaya Pastala, the brand helps farmers market everything from organic certified cereals to oils, herbs, spice and beeswax. But what is most important to them is the Apis Cerena, or the Indian honey bee. Why? Because almost everything we consume comes from cross pollinated plants (must be pollinated to bear fruit) and the cerena is one of the best pollinators.

She has worked towards sustainable development with the Aga Khan Foundation, DFID, India and the World Bank. She promotes community-based beekeeping through 'The Hive'. It helps indigenous organic farmers install bee boxes on their farms and the results have been stupendous. The yield increased by 50 per cent and their income rose 40 per cent through the sale of honey. That is a lot of food for thought the next time you reach out for that jar of honey.

Everything green-Farmers marketThis is probably the best place to grab your greens straight from the growers themselves. The market is held on Sunday mornings at the Nilgiri Gardens in Bandra. Stalls selling everything, from fruits and vegetables to cloth and candy floss, dot the garden where it is held.

Brainchild of Kavita Mukhi, founder of the Conscious Food brand, this is the only farmers' market in the country where everything is organic. This was something Mukhi had wanted to do for years, "For me it was a dream."? Her interest in the organic way of life began years ago when her son was born and she started looking for healthy food.

Farmers get a free spot to sell their produce while the others are either paid for or sponsored stalls. In both cases, costs of middlemen and high rentals is eliminated. Mukhi says, "The response has been fantastic, but the scale is still relatively small for a city like Mumbai."?

At the organic cafe, every item served is at least 80 per cent organic. Not surprisingly, plastic is not welcome here-the grains are held in sacks and sold in paper bags. The market is closed now, but will be back in October.

What: A huge variety of organic foods and products and eco-friendly options for just about everything.

Where: Nilgiri Gardens. Coming up in Cuffe Parade.

Contact: 9821142700, 9820089378.

Reetha Balsavar and Lata Sharma of Navdanya, the store that stocks every kind of grain you can think of

Final pit stop-NavdanyaThe store is a tiny organic haven in an Andheri by-lane, with shelves neatly lined with most grains than you can think of, and many that you can't. Fret not, the caretakers Reetha Balsavar and Lata Sharma will come to your rescue the second they sense hesitation. Their offerings come packed in plastic bags, but they encourage you to get your own jar or recycle old plastic bags.

It is this personal touch that has seen sales pick up 200 per cent since the store opened three years ago. Mumbai's only Navdanya store is part of a nation-wide organic movement launched 23-years ago by renowned scientist and environmentalist Dr Vandana Shiva. For Balsavar and Sharma the association goes back six years.

The movement started as seed banks across the country and has now established itself as a cooperative that helps farmers from 16 states market their produce. Navdanya means nine crops that represent India's collective source of food security. All their produce is certified organic and sourced directly from their cooperative.

Produce grown naturally, without using chemical pesticides or fertilizers or even genetically modified seeds. Organic meats and dairy products come from animals that have not been reared with antibiotics and growth hormones.What's the fuss about?Since organic food and products are grown the natural way, without the use of chemicals, they are good for the body. The added advantage is that they are also good for the environment as they do not contaminate the soil and the water. Organic cultivation is cheaper for the farmer who doesn't have to invest in pesticides and fertilisers. Organic food is considered to be healthier and more nutritious than conventional food.

DownsideLow shelf life, wastage, expensive

Why is it expensive?Good quality, labour intensive, they spoil faster, leading to higher wastage; usually grown on small farms without economy of scale.

How to care for organic foods

Rub organic castor oil into grains

Use neem leaves in containers or ash from agnihotra puja to ward off pests